The English policeman has several nicknames but the most frequently used are “copper” and “bobby”. The first name comes form. the verb “to cop” ( which is also slang ) , meaning “to take”or “to capture” , and the second comes form. the first name of Sir Robert Peel , a 19th century politician , who was the founder of the police force as we know it today . An early nickname for the policeman was “peeler” , but this one has died out .

Whatever we may call them , the general opinion of the police seems to be a favorable one , except , of course , among the criminal part of the community where the police are given more derogatory nicknames which originated in America , such as “fuzz” or “pig” . Visitors to England seem to be very impressed by the English police . It has , in fact , because standing joke that the visitor to Britain , when asked for his views of the country , will always say , at some point or other , “I think your policemen are wonderful”.

Well , the British bobby not always be wonderful but he is usually a very friendly and helpful sort of character . A music-hall song of some years ago was called “If You Want To Know The Time , Ask A Policeman ” . Nowadays , most people own watches but they still seem to find plenty of other questions to ask the policeman . In London , the policeman spend so much of their time directing visitors about the city that one wonders how they ever find time to do anything else .

Two things are immediately noticeable to the stranger when he sees an English policeman for the first time . The first is that does not carry a pistol and the second is that he wears a very distinctive type of headgear , the policeman’s helmet . His helmet , together with his height , enables an English policeman to be time it is suggested that the policeman should be given a pistol and than his helmet should be taken form. him , but both suggestions are resisted by the majority of the public and the police themselves .

Nowadays British people call the policeman________.